


The Case of the Incomplete Wages

by Galadriel1010



Series: Birthday Prompts [13]
Category: Doctor Who & Related Fandoms, Doctor Who (2005), The Paternoster Gang (Big Finish Audio)
Genre: Detectives, F/F, Paternoster Gang, Victorian, casefic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-20
Updated: 2020-08-20
Packaged: 2021-03-07 00:41:59
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 636
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26008195
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Galadriel1010/pseuds/Galadriel1010
Summary: Vastra and Jenny investigate the disappearance of a young woman from her employer's home and uncover a case that would test even Sherlock Holmes' suspension of disbelief.
Relationships: Jenny Flint/Madame Vastra
Series: Birthday Prompts [13]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1862779
Comments: 2
Kudos: 12





	The Case of the Incomplete Wages

**Author's Note:**

> I'm sorry, this was going to be a oneshot but I realised it needed to be longer, so it's going on the list to finish 'at some point'. Once I've worked out who actually dunnit.

The young woman sat in the armchair, her tea abandoned and forgotten on the table beside her for long enough that it had long since stopped steaming. She held a white silk handkerchief, carefully repaired in one corner, in both hands, and twisted it around her fingers and between them as she talked, only occasionally raising it to dab at the corners of her eyes when the emotions overcame her. Her story came in stuttering spurts and was interspersed with long stretches of minutiae and seemingly irrelevant history, but Madame Vastra listened to every word carefully. It was hard to tell behind her veil, but even Jenny didn’t see even a flicker of reaction from her.

When their guest had talked herself out, the Great Detective simply inclined her head and settled back in her chair. “Thank you, Miss Mapplewhite. But I must ask, you are sure your sister hasn’t simply run off? Found a young man or woman, perhaps, and headed for Gretna Green?”

“No, absolutely not,” she insisted. When Vastra was unmoved she looked up at Jenny, who did her best to keep her excitement hidden behind a mask of polite disinterest. It was harder without a veil. The woman’s pleading eyes bored into her and did more to temper the excitement than any of Jenny’s efforts had achieved. “Sarah would have told me if she had met anyone, and I would be happy for her! It would be hard without her income but… and of course she sent most of her wages home to us, she always did. Even the last pay packet was sent to me. How could she leave with no money?”

“Well it is unusually generous of her employer to send you the money at all if she did indeed leave him at short notice.” Vastra nodded to Jenny and she stepped forwards obediently. “Nevertheless, we will visit him to make enquiries. It may be that one of his remaining staff has a better idea of where your sister might have gone that was not home to you.”

Miss Mapplewhite sobbed with relief, curled forwards over her handkerchief, and Jenny patted her shoulder awkwardly. When she was done, and had cleaned herself up with a fresh handkerchief that Jenny gave to her, she finally drank her lukewarm tea with shaking hands. “Thank you, Madame. I don’t know how I can repay you. Without Sarah we have no income, but I have her last wages and I can set a bit by each month…”

“My dear, that will not be necessary. Consider it a gift from the Duchess of Meltham.” She looked up at Jenny, and now her smile was clear through her veil. “We will send word as soon as we have any.”

Jenny saw Miss Mapplewhite to the door, then closed and locked it before her and raced back through the house to Vastra. Her wife was in her study, already poring over county maps and her journals for clues. “What do you think’s happened to her, then? You don’t really believe she’s run off?”

“No, my love, I do not. She would have told her sister if it were a man, and if it were a woman she would have no need to leave so abruptly. Alas, I fear something far worse has happened to her.” She lifted her journal from the table and trailed her finger down the page. “I noticed that Carruthers Hall had advertised for staff several times in recent years, and used local papers across the south of England. There are likely more I did not see. I will pay a visit to our friends at the Yard to set them on the trail, and arrange our train tickets. Whilst I am gone, you need to pack for a week away. Pack the swords.”


End file.
